A large study performed in New Zealand and published in the June 2008 issue of Diabetes Care has reported that HbA1c levels in both people with a diagnosis of diabetes and those without such a diagnosis are linked to increased risk of dying over the next four to five years. The study group was nearly 48,000 people who were screened for hepatitis B and also tested for HbA1c levels. The excess mortality risk was strongest for endocrine, nutritional, metabolic and immunity disorders and for cardiovascular disease.

A limitation of the study is that the majority of the group were Maori or Pacific islanders but the study confirms trends shown in previous smaller studies where this was not the case.

Source: Brewer et al. A New Zealand linkage study examining the associations between A1C concentration and mortality. Diabetes Care 2008 Jun;31(6):1144-9